Toothpick dispenser



June 5, 1934.l 1 E KENKEL 1,962,018

` TooTHPIcK DISPENSER VFiled Aug. 29. 1953 INVENTOR ATTOR N EY Patented June 5, 1934 l UNITED STATES FFIC TOOTHPICK DISPENSER John Edwin Kenkel, Great Falls, Mont.

Application August 29, 1933, Serial No. 687,359

4 Claims. (Cl. S12- 75) This invention relates to dispensing machines will remove from the notched upright 11 all of and has for an object to provide an improved the tooth picks, one tooth pCk being OFCed construction over my prior Patent No. 1,428,439, over the abutment 13 and the remaining tooth the object being to provide a construction wherepicks being forced back onto the support 9. The

in tooth picks may be vended one at a time in one tooth pick which is forced over the abutment 60 an efoient and desirable manner. 13 will fall onto the arms 14 and move down- Another object of the present invention is to: Wldly Until il STKGS the plate 15- The aTYTlS provide an improved construction wherein 14 are inte ral with or: rigidly secured to plate nothing is in the way of the fingers when a 15 and this plate is pivotally mounted at 18 on vended tooth pick is being grasped and removed, suitable standards 19, while the slides 17 are 65 A further object of the invention is to propivotally mounted at 29 onto the arms 14. Plate vide an improved simplified structure wherein l5 at the upper end is rigidly secured to an swinging means are provided which coact with TC-Shaped Shield 21 Which with the abutment the vended tooth pick and prevent the vending 5 and associated parts form a constricted or narof a second tooth pick until the irst tooth pick row passageway DEO which the OO'h DCkS mOVe, 70

has been completely removed from the machine. as shown in Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawing- Associated with the arms 14 are plates 1 7` Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional lJVOtally mlllted at 20 t0 thGSe arms but Otherview through Figure 3 on the line 1 1, diswise freely movable, whereby as the arms 14 closing an embodiment of the invention; swing on the pin or pivotal support 18, the 75 Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but respective plates 17 will not only move therewith showing the parts in the position assumed when but will, in effect, slide back and forth with the a tooth pick is about to be removed from the extension 22 beneath the pin 23 which is carried machine; by the standard 10. When the parts are in the 25 Figure 3 is a sectional view through Figure 1 position shown in Figure 1 any tooth picks on 30 but approximately on the line 3--3. the arms 14 will slide down to the position shown Referring to the accompanying drawing by in Figure 1 where the tooth pick is in contact numerals, 1 indicates a housing of any desired with the plate 15 and also with the respective kind, which is iormed with a chamber 2 in which plates 17. When the tooth pick is to be rea supply of tooth picks 3 or other articles to be moved it is pulled horizontally or on a slight 85 vended are positioned. The chamber 2 has an upward curve and the parts will then assume the inclined bottom 4 arranged at a sufficient pitch position shown in Figure 2. whereby the tooth picks will automatically move If for any reason a tooth pick should be left downwardly under gravity and strike against the in place as shown in Figure 2, the parts will swinging abutment 5. Abutment 5 and the eX- remain in this position with. the plates 17 ele- 90 tension 6 form an auxiliary bottom having an vated. These plates cannot move downwardly opening 7. and the ejecting projection 12 cannot move up- When the device is operated the abutment 5 wardly, so that no additional tooth picks will moves downwardly until the upper end 8 is be fed to the dispensing point. However, as

substantially flush with the upper surface of soon as the tooth pick is removed the parts will 95 the bottom 4, whereby a certain amount or tooth readily fall down to the position shown in Figure picks may move down and rest on the horizontal 1, and' when this occurs the ejecting member 12 support 9, as shown particularly in Figure 2. will have pushed one tooth pick over the abut- The device is swung up to the position shown in ment 13 and the remaining tooth picks back on Figure 2 each time a tooth pickis vended, and to the support 9. When this occurs the tooth loo,

consequently one or more tooth picks will be pick ejected will strike the upper surface of the discharged onto the support 9. arms 14 and will move downwardly by gravity As shown in the `drawing there is provided a to the position shown in Figure 1, ready to be stationary support 10 having spaced notched removed. When the tooth pick is removed the uprights 1l positioned to receive one or more parts are swung upwardly by the person remov- 105;

tooth picks, as shown in Figure 2, when the suping the same until the parts assume the position port 9 is lowered. This support 9 merges into shown in Figure 2, whereupon the shoulder 24 a pointed structure 12 which is positioned as of the respective plates 17 will be in front of shown in Figure 2 when the parts are lowered, pin 23, so that if a tooth pick is not completely and when it swings again to an upward position removed this shoulder will prevent a return 110,

Y function as just described.

sliding movement and, consequently, no additional tooth picks will be forced onto the arms 14.

It will be noted that as the tooth pick is removed the various moving parts are swung upwardly at the upper portion and then allowed to drop down by gravity. This causes the bar 21 and also the abutment 5 to move upwardly and downwardly, thus agitating the tooth picks carried by the support and also carried by the bottom 4. rlhis agitation loosens the tooth picks so that they will not adhere and cause the tooth picks to rest against the vending wedge or member l2 as shown in Figure l. When this member is lowered the notched members l1 will catch one or more tooth picks and then upon the return movement of the ejecting wedge 12 one tooth pick is vended and the remaining tooth picks forced back on to support 9. This action is carried out each time a tooth pick is vended.

In Figure 1 only a comparatively few tooth picks have been shown but, if desired, the entire chamber 2 could be filled and the parts would When it is desired to fill chamber 2 the cover 25, which has an annular slip extension 26, is removed and the tooth picks inserted. The extension 26 is then slipped over the casing l, and the parts are ready f for further operation.

If desired a guiding post 27 could be connected to each of the arms 11i as shown in Figure 3, said guiding posts acting to cause the Withdrawal of the tooth pick in such a manner that it will strike both of these posts substantially simultaneously and, therefore, not have either end wedged beneath the plate 15.

I claim- 1. A tooth pick vending machine comprising -a casing having a chamber for receiving a supthe support swings to a given position, means carried by said swinging member for ejecting one of the tooth picks in said forked member, and a swinging member positioned to be swung against said forked member by the tooth pick being ejected for preventing a second ejection until the first mentioned tooth pick has been completely removed from the device.

2. A tooth pick vending machine including a forked member, means for directing tooth picks yto said forked member, a pair of swinging arms,

said arms being connected together at one point, an ejecting Wedge carried by said arms at the point where they are connected together, said ejecting wedge being positioned so that when said arms swing to one extreme position they will engage and force a tooth pick from said forked member onto the upper surface of said arms, a plate rigidly secured to said arms and arranged substantially parallel therewith, a pair of swinging and sliding plates pivotally mounted on said arms and formed with inclined upper surfaces normally extending across said plate at an angle whereby a tooth pick deposited on said arms Will gravitate downwardly until it approaches the juncture of said sliding plates and the rst mentioned plate, each of said sliding plates having a shoulder at one end and a pin coacting with said shoulder for preventing the sliding plates from moving in one direction while the tooth pick is engaging the upper sul'- face of the opposite end of the respective sliding plates.

3. A tooth pick vending machine comprising a tiltable vending structure, and means for preventing the tiltable structure from functioning while a tooth pick is positioned near the discharge end of the vending structure, said means including a pair of pivotally mounted and sliding plates, each of said plates having at the inner end a shoulder and an extension at the lower end of each shoulder, and means forming an abutment for the shoulders positioned to engage the shoulders as said vending structure begins to function, shoulders and abutment acting to prevent return movement of the vending structure until the vending operation has been completed.

4. In a tooth pick vending machine, a pivotally mounted vending structure including an arm over which the tooth picks are adapted to be moved when being vended, and a plate spaced from said arm but substantially parallel thereto, and means for preventing a second functioning of said vending structure until the first vending operation has been completed, said means including a pair of plates pivotally mounted on said arms and swingable therewith, the swinging of said arms causing said plates to have a slight reciprocatory movement, each of said plates having a shoulder and an extension adjacent said shoulder, and a stationary stop coacting with said extension on said shoulder, said extension acting on said stop to prevent swinging movement of the respective plates, and said shoulders acting to prevent sliding movement thereof when the vending structure has partially completed the vending operation.

JOHN EDWIN KENKEL. 

